Trump ‘to return to Madison Square Garden tonight’ as he picks oil CEO Chris Wright for energy secretary: Live

The bankruptcy judge overseeing the auction of Alex Jones’s InfoWars has raised concerns over the process by which satirical publication The Onion won the bid for the conspiracy theorist’s website and related properties, ending his 25-year run of the media company.

During a status conference on Thursday, hours after Jones raged on his final InfoWars broadcast that the “deep state” was shutting him down, District Judge Christopher Lopez said “no one should feel comfortable with the results of this auction.”

Alex Woodward reports.

Iran sent a private letter to the Joe Biden administration last month vowing it wouldn’t plot to kill Donald Trump, according to a report.

The letter from Tehran — delivered on October 14 — came in response to US officials’ private hand-written warning to the country in September, relating that any threats against the then-Republican nominee’s life would be “treated as an act of war,” the Wall Street Journal first reported.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Jimmy Kimmel has mocked Donald Trump for “running the country like a reality show” as the president-elect works to fill his second administration.

In the past two days, Trump has nominated former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, former Florida representative Matt Gaetz as attorney general, vocal anti-vaxxer Robert F Kennedy Jr as Health and Human Services secretary and Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon.

While Republicans and Democrats have reacted to Trump’s controversial cabinet picks with a mixture of praise, criticism and confusion, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host described the nominations as being even “crazier “ than predicted.

James Liddell reports.

Trump border czar Tom Homan has pledged to institute a regime of “shock and awe” on the first day of the new administration.

The former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took part in Donald Trump Jr’s program on the video streaming platform Rumble this week.

The pair discussed Homan’s plans to put together mass deportations of millions of illegal immigrants.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Tom Watling reports:

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin seriously underestimate what the other is capable of and that carries far-ranging risks for Ukraine over Russia’s invasion, Britain’s former spy chief and ex-diplomats have told The Independent.

Trump’s US election victory last week has upended Europe’s plan to back Kyiv for “as long as it takes”. His focus is on ending the war quickly, even if that potentially means pushing Kyiv to cede territory currently occupied by Russia.

Sir Alex Younger, former chief of MI6 from 2014 to 2020, believes both the incoming president and his Russian counterpart overestimate their ability to influence the other.

“I think Trump overestimates his ability to force Putin into a land swap where Putin clearly wants a lot more, when he feels that he is winning and when he has to show [the Russian people] a lot more if he is to justify the appalling sacrifice he’s imposed,” he says. “Trump is underestimating the challenge and overestimating his influence.”

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and environmentalist, for years gained a loyal and fierce following with his biting condemnations of how the nation’s public health agencies do business.

And that’s put him on a direct collision course with some of the 80,000 scientists, researchers, doctors and other officials who work for the Department of Health and Human Services, especially with President-elect Donald Trump tapping him to head the agency.

If confirmed, Kennedy will control the world’s largest public health agency, and its $1.7 trillion budget.

The agency’s reach is massive. It provides health insurance for nearly half of the country — poor, disabled and older Americans. It oversees research of vaccines, diseases and cures. It regulates the medications found in medicine cabinets and inspects the foods that end up in cupboards.

A look at Kennedy’s comments about some of the agencies that fall within the HHS arena, and how he has said he plans to shake them up:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released an update on the offensive and racist text messages sent to African American and Black communities across the country after the election, saying they have spread to Hispanic and LGBT+ communities.

A new statement was released on Friday:

The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to African American and Black communities around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter. The reports are not identical and vary in their specific language, but many say the recipient has been selected to pick cotton on a plantation.

The text message recipients have now expanded to high school students, as well as both the Hispanic and LGBTQIA+ communities. Some recipients reported being told they were selected for deportation or to report to a re-education camp. The messages have also been reported as being received via email communication.

Although we have not received reports of violent acts stemming from these offensive messages, we are evaluating all reported incidents and engaging with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. We are also sharing information with our law enforcement partners and community, academia, and faith leaders.

Recipients of messages consistent with those described are encouraged to report the details to the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov.

As always, we encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and report threats of violence or anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement immediately, call their local FBI office, or submit a report to tips.fbi.gov.

Here’s Katie Hawkinson with our initial reporting on the matter:

Alex Woodward writes:

There is no secret plan or conspiracy theory at work; putting an enemy of the “deep state” in charge of it, creating an agency named after a meme, naming widely loathed congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general — it’s the trolling as politics that Trump’s movement inspired. It’s an absurd attack on the institutions that Trump despises, and they’re laughing all the way to the White House. It’s what he campaigned on, and he’s fulfilling his campaign promises.

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Donald Trump has appointed Karoline Leavitt as his White House Press Secretary.

Leavitt served as national press secretary for his campaign.

“Karoline Leavitt did a phenomenal job as the National Press Secretary on my Historic Campaign, and I am pleased to announce she will serve as White House Press Secretary,” Trump said in a statement. “Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator. I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we, Make America Great Again.”

Two people in former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s inner orbit must comply with their subpoenas in the defamation case as Giuliani’s deadline to hand over his belongings closes in, a judge ordered.

A federal judge in Giuliani’s case against Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss — a mother-daughter pair of election workers he owes $148 million for defaming — ordered Maria Ryan, Giuliani’s business partner, and Ted Goodman, his spokesperson, on Thursday to respond to subpoenas requesting information on their financial ties to the former mayor. Ryan and Goodman were served on August 5.

The order comes weeks after the cash-strapped former mayor revealed that he, Ryan, and Goodman formed a new business as recently as August 30 and he is storing some of his property in a Long Island storage facility under Ryan’s name.

Kelly Rissman has been following the case.